Laois / Offaly Local Link is hugely successful but not enough drivers available

A MEETING last week was told that the bus transport scheme “Local Link Laois Offaly” has been hugely successful but is also facing some significant challenges.
Frances Byrne, Manager of TFI (Transport for Ireland) Local Link Laois Offaly, told the September monthly meeting of Birr Municipal District that nearly 300,000 passengers per year are using the service in the two counties, but there are not enough drivers and there's also a need for new buses.
Local Link Laois Offaly is one of 15 nationwide Transport Co-ordination Units (TCU), funded and contracted under the National Transport Authority (NTA). Ms Byrne pointed out that the TCU’s remit is to manage the Rural Transport Programme on the ground and develop and grow future services for the National Transport Authority.
She said TFI Local Link has two types of services which are open for all to use and it accepts the free travel pass card.
The service types are:
- Door to door services (which pick up and drop off passengers at their homes, rather than at fixed stops) are prebooked a day in advance. Local Link Laois Offaly has 62 door-to-door services and 11 of these services connect to Athlone TUS (Technological University of the Shannon), Maynooth and local Education Training Centres across both counties.
- Regular Rural Services, RRS, which operate on a fixed route between towns and villages. Local Link Laois Offaly has nine in operation and one more is planned for 2025.
“All our services,” said Ms Byrne, “are tendered out to a pre-qualified operator’s panel. This panel is open to all operators to register on at any time and is accessed through the e-tenders platform. All services are operated with buses that are branded under the TFI Local Link logos and are wheelchair accessible. Generally, all contracts are of a four-year duration. TFI Local Link will also provide services where there is a deficit in transport and no other public service on the route and in some instances will connect with other providers.”
She pointed out that in the last number of years, many delays in starting new services/routes have arisen. This is partly due to a lack of available new buses. “There's a shortage of new buses across Europe,” she remarked. “This backlog is due to war restriction fallouts on parts. It's also due to the transition from fossil fuel buses to clean vehicles leading to a reduction in production numbers with ongoing research & development reducing manufacturing numbers. Brexit has also decreased the number of buses available in the second-hand market due to raised import charges.
“Another problem we have is a lack of available drivers which is continuing to affect the volume of services we will be able to undertake.” She said the pay packages being offered are not attractive enough for many prospective drivers.
The Manager said the positive impact locally from the increased bus services in recent years is seen with the increased business for local shops and cafes along the routes; a greater access to health facilities and employment opportunities locally; a connection to onward travel with other bus services or Irish Rail; the Connecting Ireland routes all operate seven days a week and have many frequencies across the day and give more options for rural passengers to use.
“The housing shortage, especially in student locations, has been a barrier in the last number of years for young college students. These bus routes now give an opportunity for students to commute locally to nearby colleges and institutes.”
She added that while the Connecting Ireland programme will see greater sustainable mobility in rural Ireland it needs infrastructure to realise its full potential. This will be looking at: Installing bus poles, and shelters; Bus Depots to facilitate driver breaks, refuelling capabilities, safe and appropriate parking.
She said that Offaly County Council have approved several existing bus stops for upgrades with poles and hard standings. “A number of bus shelters are also planned but shelters are a slow and expensive process to get over the line. A funding allocation through Active Travel will be used to support these works.”
She said it's planned to install many bus poles at stops before the end of 2025. Unfortunately, it may be considerably longer before we see shelters.

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